Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 (also known as BF1942) is the first installment in the ''Battlefield'' series and was developed by DICE. It was released for PC in 2002 and was later made the AIAS and IGN Game of the Year. To celebrate the game's ten year anniversary, it was made available for free on Origin in November 2012. Official servers were shut down on June 30, 2014, during the mass GameSpy server closure by Glu Mobile that occurred that day. However, like all PC Battlefield titles affected by the shutdown, the game can still be played online through the Gameranger service. Battlefield 1942 can also be played online through the usage of a community made replacement master server. Overview Battlefield 1942 is set during World War II in the Pacific, European and Northern African theaters. Its gameplay has a more cooperative focus than previous games in the first person shooter genre, as it is not only important to kill the opposition but to also hold certain "control points" around the map while playing a multitude of classes each equipped for special roles. Capturing control points allow the team to reinforce themselves by enabling players and vehicles to spawn in the vicinity of the control point. Consequently, capturing and controlling these points also will reduce enemy reinforcements. Battlefield 1942 was one of the first mainstream games to represent a dramatic shift in FPS gameplay mentality by not only favoring individualism but simultaneously encouraging teamwork and coordination. Classes Battlefield 1942 features a class-based system, with a total of five classes. Each class has their respective role on the battlefield. *Scout *Assault *Anti-Tank *Medic *Engineer Factions Different Allies and Axis forces are always pitted against each other, with specific factions facing each other based on the location of the map. On Wake Island, for instance, US forces always engage with Japanese forces as it takes place in the Pacific Theater. Maps and Gamemodes All maps are based on the actual battles of the war. The base game originally featured a total of seventeen maps but this was later expanded to twenty-two through later patches. The game features a total of five game types, all of which promote the use of teamwork to complete objectives. Weapons and Vehicles A variety of weapons and vehicles are featured in the game. Weapons are restricted by faction and class. Vehicles are restricted by faction and map setting. Each player carries one primary weapon and one sidearm. Generally speaking, the Assault class uses Assault Rifles, the Scout class uses Sniper Rifles, the Engineer class uses Standard Issue Rifles, the Anti-Tank class uses Anti-Tank Weapons, and the Medic uses Sub-Machine Guns. Sidearms are shared between all of the classes in a faction. In the base game, some weapons of corresponding role used by the different factions share identical stats. Expansions The Road To Rome Battlefield 1942: The Road To Rome was released in February 2003. It added the Italian Front to the game, featuring the respective factions as well as weapons on maps based on the real battles themselves. Secret Weapons of WWII Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII was released in September 2003. It added many new weapons and vehicles that were both prototypes and experimental during the war. The purpose of the expansions was to add a large amount of content without overhauling the series. It was also featured with numerous patches that added more maps. Special Editions Deluxe Edition *''Battlefield 1942'' *''The Road To Rome'' World War II Anthology *''Battlefield 1942'' *''The Road To Rome'' *''Secret Weapons of World War II'' Complete Collection *''Battlefield 1942'' *''The Road To Rome'' *''Secret Weapons of WWII'' *''Battlefield Vietnam'' **WWII Mod Soundtrack Development Battlefield 1942 was built around concepts introduced in Codename Eagle which was developed by Refractor Games which DICE had acquired in 2000. 1942 utilizes the Refractor Engine with its successor, the Refractor 2 Engine, used in the development of Battlefield 2. EA had announced a console version of the game for the original Xbox but these plans were later scrapped in 2004 to focus on the development of future games and expansion for the newfound series. Post-release Reception Battlefield 1942 has received unanimous praise from critics in the game industry. *The game currently has a score of 89Battlefield 1942 for PC Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More - Metacritic - retrieved August 21, 2012 in Metacritic based on 27 reviews and 88.67%Battlefield 1942 for PC - GameRankings - retrieved August 21, 2012 in GameRankings based on 44 reviews. *'GameSpot' gave the game an 8.8 out of 10,Battlefield 1942 Review - GameSpot.com - retrieved September 5, 2012 saying that "For now, as long as you can find skilled teammates and aren't getting pestered by the game's technical problems, Battlefield 1942 can be, quite appropriately, a real blast." *'IGN' gave the game a 9.3 out of 10,Battlefield 1942 - IGN - retrieved September 5, 2012 saying that "The game is a perfect bet for fans of online action. It's even likely that this game will find converts in the RPG or strategy crowd." *'GameSpy' gave the game 4.5 out of 5 stars,GameSpy: Battlefield 1942 - Review - retrieved September 5, 2012 saying that "While it takes a beefy system to run and requires a good game server to really appreciate, Battlefield is one of the most rewarding shooters we've played in a long time. It's a tank game, a dogfighting game, a naval warfare game, a driving game, and a first-person shooter all rolled into one." Gallery Battlefield 1942 Early Cover Art.jpg|One of the mockups for the Battlefield 1942 coverDICE - Twitter References ru:Battlefield 1942 de:Battlefield 1942 es:Battlefield 1942 nl:Battlefield 1942 (2002) Category:Games of Battlefield Category:PC Games